ELA lit terms

Genre

category or type of literature

protagonist

main character/hero

antagonist

“bad guy”

setting

time and place of the story

theme

overall message of the story/life lesson - universal and can apply to everyone

thematic statement

full sentence

thematic concept

1-2 words

5 ingredients -short story/novel

setting

characters

plot

POV

theme

plot

the storyline/sequence of events in a story

narrator

speaker telling the story

symbol

a person, place, or thing (noun) that represents idea/feeling - EX: statue of liberty is freedom

dramatic irony

when reader knows something important that character does not

situtational irony

a surprise twist/opposite of what you expect to happen

imagery

using 5 senses to describe something

conflict

intense problem faced by character/struggle between 2 opposing forces

characterization

how author brings character to life

A= appearance

T/F= thoughts/feelings

P= personality

O= others treatment of character

S/A= speech/actions

dialogue

convo between characters

dialect

imitating how real people talk (spelled like sound)

mood

atmosphere/ feeling created by literary elements (can change during story)

flashback

when narrator goes back in time to earlier in story

foreshadowing

hints about what happens later in story

diction

vocab/word choice

tone

authors attitude about topic (angry, hopeful, sarcastic…)

denotation

dictionary definition

connotation

emotional feeling the word carries

suspense

tension created by intense conflict - keeps reader engaged

static character

stays same throughout FICTION text

dynamic character

changes drastically due to conflicts and experiences; evolves

alliteration

repetition of sounds at beginning of word - EX: the Lazy Lion Licked his paw/ Can we adopt that Cute Kitten

onomatopeia

sound words

repetition

when word/phrase repeat 2 or more times in a line

rhyme

when words end in the same sound

stanza

section of a poem

synonym

word with similar meaning

antonym

word with opposite meaning

transition words

words that connect ideas within/between paragraphs

NON fiction text patters

time/sequence

cause & effect

problem & solution

compare/contrast

description

mirror moment

when reader see part of identity/experience - helps connect with reader

window moment

when they learna] abt character whose culture/identity is different form theirs

claim

main point the author will prove, topic sentence, TAG

citing vs paraphrasing

taking a quote vs rewording text

source

where the info come from

plagiarism

copying someone else’s work and not citing

anecdote

mini story in 1st or 3rd person

types of evidence

facts, examples, anecdote, quotes, surveys, data, laws, policies…

persuasive techniques

rhetorical question, loaded language, & call to action

loaded language

strong diction with p/n connotation - helps convey tone

counterclaim/argument

claim/argument presented by opposing side

rebuttal

response to counterclaim used to argue opposing side

1st person

uses “I” and “we” - narrarator is in the story

2nd person

rarely used but normally in cookbooks or manuals “you”

3rd objective

narrator is an outside observer and only reports what they can see/hear - sportscaster etc

3rd limited

narrator is limited to one single persons thoughts or feeling

3rd omniscient

narrator is all knowing and can include every characters thoughts & feelings - provides most info

simile

comparison using like/as

metaphor

comparison without like/as

personification

giving inanimate objects human qualities

idiom/figure of speech

a not literal saying

hyperbole

an extreme exaggeration for dramatic effect

oxymoron

2 opposite words are put together

logos

appeals to readers logic

ethos

credibility or expertise of the argument

pathos

emotional and ethics